The Dishes Still Need Doing

The kitchen light flickered this morning. Not a poetic flicker, like candlelight. Just that annoying blink that reminds me I’ve been meaning to replace the bulb for three weeks. I moved past it like I usually do, sidestepping yesterday’s dishes and the laundry basket someone (me) left in the hallway. I grabbed my chai—concentrate and milk, no boiling water required—and set it down at my desk, already halfway through my inbox before the milk had stopped swirling.

It was early. The kind of early where the house is quiet but somehow still chaotic. I scrolled through a few posts while Outlook loaded, and I saw one of those quotes: “Today is a fresh start.” I didn’t roll my eyes exactly, but I definitely smirked.

A fresh start, huh? Tell that to the laundry on the dining room table.

But here’s what I’m learning in this season: sometimes a fresh start isn’t a spotless kitchen or an inbox at zero. Sometimes it’s just deciding to be kind even though you’re tired. It’s sending the email you’ve been avoiding. It’s saying a quick prayer in the middle of a mundane moment.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not the “boss babe” vibe. It’s just showing up, again, and again, and again.

Some days I get through more than I expected. Other days I blink and it’s 4:00 p.m., and I’ve reheated my chai twice but still haven’t folded the towels. And both days are okay. Both days count.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” —Colossians 3:17

I’m starting to believe that includes replying to emails, matching socks, and microwaving milk for the third time.

The dishes still need doing. But so does this life. And even on days when I feel frayed around the edges, I remember: God is not waiting for me to get it all together before He shows up. He’s already here, right in the middle of my messy table and my too-full heart.

—The Rusted Sparrow